Rep. Zlotnik is optimistic

Stephen Landry

Monday

Jan 23, 2017 at 8:16 AM

WINCHENDON On the day after the inauguration of a new president, state Rep. Jon Zlotnik, D-Gardner, said that, despite an obvious division among the electorate, he is optimistic about the nation’s future.

WINCHENDON On the day after the inauguration of a new president, state Rep. Jon Zlotnik, D-Gardner, said that, despite an obvious division among the electorate, he is optimistic about the nation’s future.

He made the comments at a meeting with constituents at the Beals Memorial Library on Saturday.

“Even though there were some protests that may not have been totally peaceful, we still had a peaceful transition of power,” Zlotnik said.

He added that the recent political struggles in Gambia illustrated that such transitions are not always the case in democracies around the world. “The (Gambian) president clearly lost a free and fair election, but he’s not leaving. I think people take it for granted that it just happens here, and not just at the (presidential) level, but across the country.”

Zlotnik, who was recently elected for a third term, said there would be no point in being pessimistic about the nation’s future, despite one’s political party affiliation.

“We should be optimistic,” he said. “That’s not to say that there won’t be certain things in my district that I’ll be keeping an eye on, whether it’s education or economic development.”

Another issue Zlotnik said he would concentrate on was the unemployment rate in the 2nd Worcester District, explaining that he remained concerned that the jobless rate in this area remains higher than a lot of other areas.

“So I think for the time being, that really needs to be the focus,” he explained, adding that he felt the issue of unemployment was connected to a number of related factors. “If you have a vibrant economy, if people are making more money, then the local governments will have more money to invest in schools, roads and all those other things.”

Reflecting on his first term in office, Zlotnik – who pointed out that as of the most recent swearing-in ceremony in Boston, he was no longer the youngest member of the state’s House of Representatives – said that there was definitely a learning curve to the job.

“Anyone who says they come into this with all the knowledge they need is probably just exaggerating,” he said. “It does take some time to figure things out. But I feel like we’re really starting to put some accomplishments behind us – more of my bills are being co-sponsored, more of them are coming out of committee.”

Asked to name the accomplishments he was most proud of to date, Zlotnik mentioned his work on establishing the Rockwell Fund, which was created to benefit the Gardner school district via funds received from the sale of an original Norman Rockwell painting.

Another accomplishment he noted were his efforts to keep Winchendon financially afloat three years ago.

“We were under a lot of pressure to get it done, or the town wouldn’t be able to make payroll,” Zlotnik explained. “Getting anything through the Legislature can be a challenge, but especially for me because back then I was still the ‘new guy.’” Zlotnik said the bill was among the final ones signed by the previous governor before leaving office.

“If Deval Patrick had left office without signing it, it would have been dead. It was a little nerve-wracking.”

Another issue facing the town was raised by Winchendon resident Guy Corbosiero, who asked about the status of a proposed $4.4 million request to repair the Whitney Pond Dam, which was destroyed by an overflow of ice nine years ago.

“How can we get started (on this project?),” Corbosiero asked. “Who do we bug?”“The money is there,” Zlotnik explained, “now it’s up to the governor.”

Zlotnik said the issue is made more challenging because of the expensive price tag.

“This is such a big dollar amount; I think this is by far the biggest dollar amount I have on my list,” said Zlotnik, adding that he would appeal to the town’s Board of Selectmen to request that Gov. Charlie Baker further review the matter.

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